New Year's Eve
by MidnightandDiamonds
Summary: 'After everything that had happened over the course of the last year, the Clarke's garden was the last place Katherine expected to be ending 2016'. At Will's request Nick hosts a New Year's Eve party with the whole gang, Katherine is surprised by how well the night turns out for her - despite some nanobot-shaped setbacks (Nick/Katherine).


_Festive greetings everyone! Hope your holidays - whatever you may or may not celebrate - are going well. I'm glad to be able to finally present you all with this, I have absolutely no idea why this ended up so long but I hope no one will be complaining! This was supposed to be cuteness all the way through but apparently I'm incapable of that, so instead have a cute start and end with a mildly angsty middle!_

 _Regardless, I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

After everything that had happened over the course of the last year, the Clarke's garden was the last place Katherine expected to be ending 2016 (there was a point where she hadn't expected to make it to the end of 2016 at all…). Eve – appropriately – was returning for a visit, along with KT, so Will had insisted that they do something to celebrate New Year's Eve with all of them together again. When Nick had brought it up at the office a few days ago and immediately asked Katherine if she would be able to join them, she was surprised to say the least.

Katherine had agreed instantly, something which she would staunchly deny if asked about it.

Over the past few weeks Katherine and Nick had grown closer – _a lot closer and very quickly_. They'd been working on finding a cure for Katherine's deteriorating nanobots almost non-stop during the work day so in hindsight it seemed inevitable, it was a very personal issue and they were sharing it together after all, but she hadn't realised just how grateful she would be that Nick was so tirelessly trying to help her.

He never let her down - even when she was admittedly quite awful to everyone around her - somehow he was still always there when she needed him.

The warm feeling that thought sent through her was something Katherine was decidedly going to ignore.

Katherine arrived at the Clarke's promptly at 7:00pm, ringing the doorbell - a few seconds later she was greeted by Nick.

"Katherine! I'm glad you could make it, come on in!" He invited cheerily, standing to the side so that she could comfortably fit into the hallway with him.

"Thank you for inviting me." She replied, smiling as she walked in. Katherine hung back with him as he closed the door, choosing to follow his lead rather than barge her own way in to his house (for once…).

"You, uh… You look, lovely." Nick stuttered when he turned, finally getting a proper look at her. Katherine had gone for a smart look, more occasion-style wear than her work outfits but still somewhat professional so that she'd be warm when they moved to the garden for the fireworks display – she'd left her hair down as she usually did for social gatherings though.

"Oh. Um. Thank you." Katherine tried to push down the urge to blush as they stood awkwardly in the hallway. Katherine Calvin did not blush. Especially not at simple complements from a friend.

A few moments of charged, eye-contactless silence passed before Nick appeared to come to his senses.

"Eve and KT arrived a little while ago, everyone's already out in the garden getting things ready if you want to…" He gestured for her to lead the way.

"Oh, yes of course." Katherine moved quickly to walk through the hallway, heading for the back door that had been left open. The sound of voices filtered through the crisp, open air – amicable conversation and laughter welcoming her back out into the cold night.

Eve was the first to spot her, immediately turning to speak to latest arrival – it appeared Katherine was the last to arrive.

"Hello Katherine!" Eve called loudly, alerting the rest of the group to Katherine's presence. A friendly chorus of hellos rang out across the garden in a surprisingly warm reception from everyone; she assumed the festive spirit had made them more agreeable to her presence, rather than any actual acquiescence to her personality. Katherine would never expect to be truly accepted by these people; she could be narrow-minded but she wasn't stupid.

That didn't mean she was going to be rude for no reason though.

"Hello everyone…" Katherine replied tentatively, receiving a few smiles in return. She walked across the grass, coming to a stop where Eve stood with Will in the centre of the garden. "Hello Eve, how have you and KT been?"

"We've been very well, thank you." Eve responded with a gentle smile, appearing to appreciate Katherine's interest in her well-being.

"Good. That's… good." Katherine trailed off awkwardly, unsure of how to continue.

"How are you, Katherine? Will has told me that you and Nick have been working almost constantly to find a cure, although the suggestive tone of his voice indicated an implication that something more was going on but I couldn't get him to elaborate."

The sound of Will choking on his drink – from where he had previously been standing quietly at the side – accompanied Katherine's gaze as it narrowed questioningly on him.

She stared him down for a few seconds - watching as he laughed nervously, trying to come up with something to stay – but Katherine decided to take pity on him, turning her attention back to Eve.

"I'm okay for now, the nanobots are still deteriorating though." She lifted her left arm, showing the bandage still fastened around her hand. "The burns have started reappearing more extensively, I've had to keep my entire forearm bandaged." Katherine admitted resignedly.

"But we'll find a way to fix it. We're getting there, it'll just take some time." Nick suddenly interjected from behind her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"If there's anything I can do, I will be happy to help. You know how to find me." Eve offered sincerely. Will seemed happy at the prospect of Eve returning more frequently, perking up from his earlier embarrassment instantly.

"Thank you, Eve." Katherine was slightly dazed, she hadn't expected anyone to offer their help. It was surprising enough when Nick had, let alone Eve too.

"Um, Katherine. Maddy wants to speak to you." Nick relayed quietly, as Eve and Will returned to their own conversation.

"Oh, really?" She turned slightly, seeing Maddy chatting with Rebecca by the food table.

"Mmm hmm." Nick mumbled, his concentration suddenly on the worrying sight of Viv attempting to set up the fireworks – unsuccessfully it appeared – as Lily, KT and Abe watched on with varying degrees of 'useful' commentary.

"Alright…" Katherine moved, making towards the table, when she was stopped by a crash and a sound of frustration near the fireworks.

"I'm just going to…" Nick gestured towards where Viv was picking up a box – worryingly marked 'Explosive' – from where it had collapsed to the floor.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea." Katherine agreed quickly, the two sharing a look of exaggerated horror at the scene in front of them before they parted ways to their respective Watsons.

Katherine didn't know Lily's parents very well - they weren't the type of people she usually associated with - but they'd gotten along well when they'd met last Christmas. Katherine hadn't seen them since then though, with the exception of her brief run-in with Maddy at the prom.

Katherine had been invited for Christmas again this year, but her condition had worsened - she had barely been able to get out of bed – so she'd had to cancel. Nick had ended up calling her multiple times that day though, making sure that she was okay or just so that she wouldn't feel left out.

At one point, he'd called during Christmas dinner just so that he could read her a joke from a cracker that he thought she'd find funny. Katherine could hear everyone in the background - egging him on as he prepared to read it, apparently in on why she'd find it funny – all laughing before Nick had barely managed to say a word. It had her giggling along with them and she didn't even know why.

Katherine blamed it on the delirium, but she hadn't laughed as much in a long time – she couldn't even remember what the joke was now because she'd been so out of it.

It had helped to ease the loneliness though.

Nick had been round practically first thing on Boxing Day; Katherine's nanobots seemed to have stabilised – a large quantity of those left in her system had shut down all at once, they discovered later - and she'd been feeling substantially better.

He'd brought Katherine some of the leftovers from Christmas dinner and they'd talked for hours – Nick regaling her with tales of how Will had been so eager to open the door when Eve arrived that he'd tripped over and nearly fallen straight through it, or how Abe kept trying to trick KT but all he got back was the most unimpressed look Nick had ever seen (enough to rival even Katherine herself apparently).

By the time they'd finished, it felt as if Katherine had been there after all.

Just before Nick left, he'd hesitated – reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, neatly wrapped gift box. He made sure to leave before she opened it, her reaction when she lifted off the lid to reveal its contents making her glad he did.

That was the day something had clicked, like a switch in Katherine's brain making her realise 'You could always have this, if only you stopped sabotaging yourself for once'.

At work the next day she'd walked into Nick's office - the small oval necklace, a sapphire-coloured stone surrounded by small crystals, ornately dangling around her neck - and silently placed a similar gift-wrapped box on his desk, walking out before he could even say a word.

Katherine had caught a slight smile on his face as she'd turned to leave again, making it clear that he'd seen his gift proudly on display within her outfit. About ten minutes later, as she sat at her desk working, a similar smile graced her expression when Nick left his office to ask about her progress for the day's tasks. A simple silver tie pin - three small sapphire-coloured stones lining one of the short edges - glinted in the bright light.

Neither mentioned the gifts to one another, but they made it obvious how grateful they were for them.

Katherine cared for him a great deal and, evidently, Nick cared for her too – so despite being the sort of person who usually scoffed at silly traditions, she made a deal with herself. Her New Year's resolution would be to try and maintain good relationships with the people close to her, especially Nick and the people he cared for most.

 _So far, so good._

Maddy noticed Katherine as soon as she reached the table, turning from her conversation with Rebecca with a bright smile and handing Katherine a drink.

"Hello Maddy, it's good to see you again."

"You too, Katherine! We didn't really get a chance to speak the last time I saw you but I just wanted to say, Viv and I were so glad to hear that you were okay after all that dreadful business at Calimov at the start of the year."

"Thank you." Katherine tried to think of something else to say, something that wouldn't make her sound weak but she was stumped – surprised by the knowledge that Nick wasn't the only person hoping she would recover. Well, now was as good a time as any to start letting people in she guessed. "I don't really have… friends, or family… so that means a lot."

"We wanted to come and visit you, but we weren't sure if you'd want to see us or not and then Nick told us you were in a private burns unit. It just didn't seem right to turn up unannounced." Maddy admitted apologetically; Katherine was suddenly extremely grateful to this woman who seemed to have actually considered her feelings, it was a rare occurrence in Katherine's life.

"I appreciate that, people don't usually take how I feel into account. Thank you for thinking of me though." Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine could see Rebecca visibly relax with every word she'd spoken since the conversation had begun - as if she could see that Katherine was genuinely trying. The brief moment of eye contact they shared seemed like something of a truce between them, one Katherine hadn't expected that she would gladly take.

Apparently, nearly dying multiple times over the past year made Katherine a lot kinder and more forgiving. Who'd have thought it?

"Of course, love! We're always here if you need us. Even if it's just for a chat, you know where to find me." Katherine smiled gratefully, choosing not to reply with words. She'd opened up enough for now she thought, so she decided to focus on her drink instead – finally taking a sip. The others appeared to understand though, choosing not to push any further.

"Maddy and I were just talking about Nick…" If that ominous statement from Rebecca didn't catch Katherine's attention, the conspiratorial glance the two women shared certainly did.

"What about him?" Katherine asked curiously, hiding the slight jump of her expression upon hearing his name behind her cup.

"Oh, we were just wondering if he's seemed different lately…" Maddy added, as if she were trying to hide a knowing smile and failing miserably.

"In what way?" Katherine had a feeling she knew where this was going…

"Well… Has he been acting any differently at the office? Around… you, maybe?" And there it was.

"I am a grown woman, you don't need to beat around the bush." Katherine sighed jovially, rather enjoying the conversation despite the personal turn it had taken. "And no, he hasn't." She hesitated at that, it wasn't _exactly_ true.

"Well…"

"Oh, there is something. Come on Katherine, out with it." Considering Rebecca was his ex-wife, it was quite disconcerting how interested she seemed in gossiping about Nick's (non-existent) love life.

"Alright, he has started doing this odd thing – I don't think he even realises it's happening – but it's as if every time we have a breakthrough or any sort of-" Oh, Katherine was going to regret admitting this. "…emotional moment, he'll look at me and then his left eye will just-"

"Start twitching slightly!" Rebecca exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down so that the man in question wouldn't hear.

"Exactly!" Katherine agreed, glad she wasn't the only one who'd noticed.

"It was the same with me, it's like his brain can't process his feelings properly so instead it just does... _That._ " Rebecca's humorous reminiscence made Nick's tell even clearer in Katherine's memory, remembering how strange it had seemed the first time she'd noticed it.

"It can be really unnerving, when you're close to it." She recounted, sipping her drink absent-mindedly.

"So, you have been close to him when it's happened then." Katherine couldn't help but roll her eyes at Maddy's suggestive expression. Honestly, why was everyone so adamant that there was something more going on between her and Nick?

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Nick does not have feelings for me. How could he?" They'd known each other for years, if Nick were to have feelings for her it would have happened by now.

 _Wouldn't it?_

"Because you're an extremely beautiful woman and he has eyes?" Maddy stated matter-of-factly, Rebecca nodding along undisputedly.

"Well, you aren't wrong there." Katherine smiled smugly; she knew how she looked and she wasn't ashamed of that – criticisms of her egotism be damned. Unfortunately, looks really weren't everything - if they were, she would have snapped Nick up years ago.

 _Too bad her less-than-spotless personality always got in the way._

A sound of triumph from over by the fireworks snapped Katherine out of her reverie, her head moving to see what all the fuss was about. Viv had finally – with the guidance of a mildly terrified Nick – managed to set up the fireworks, eliciting a whoop of success from the former.

Katherine couldn't help but smile when Nick – stepping back to admire his handiwork – glanced over to where she was standing, raising his eyebrows playfully as if to say 'Considering what we do for a living, this is pretty funny'.

As he turned back around to prevent KT from trying to set the fireworks off too early, Katherine wistfully found that she had to agree.

Everything was going well for once, she was enjoying herself – getting to know people and allowing people to know her.

 _She should have known it wouldn't last._

The sting of pain – constant now, but usually manageable – flared up suddenly, like a gust of wind hitting an open fire.

In her relaxed state, the shock of pain knocked the breath out of her for a few seconds – the resulting sound alerting Maddy and Rebecca to the fact that Katherine was not okay.

"Katherine love, what is it?" She felt Maddy's steadying arms wrap around her, keeping her upright on the left side – the side that wasn't able to furiously grip the table.

"Nick!" Rebecca's voice echoed out, struggling to find purchase in Katherine's head as the pain overwhelmed her senses.

Her eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, her breath fighting to become rapid, but Katherine was determined not to let it take her over completely.

 _Just breathe._

 _In._

 _Out._

 _In._

 _Out._

Katherine had gone through this before; she'd gone through it when it was much worse.

She would most certainly get through it now.

"Katherine, where is it? Where does it hurt?" Nick's presence at her side was sudden, but she was glad of it nonetheless. Nick knew how to handle this situation – he'd had to do it before - but the others didn't. He knew how to keep her calm, focused, in a way that didn't make her want to hit someone in the face for what she perceived as pity. They had a system.

 _Pinpoint the issue. Analyse it. Find how to rectify it._

"Left arm. Into my shoulder."

"Okay it's spreading further, we need to get you inside." All Katherine could do was mumble an agreement, fearing that opening her mouth anymore would allow an undesirable sound to escape – one she knew she'd regret later.

A second later and she felt herself being transferred from Maddy to Nick, releasing some of the pressure from her left side but allowing her to stay somewhat balanced as they attempted movement.

Katherine managed to push down the pain enough to open her eyes, only then realising the strong grip her right arm had around Nick's torso – keeping herself steady. He didn't seem to care though; his only focus was getting them to the back door a few metres away.

"Eve, I could really use your help. I think it would be best if everyone else stayed here for now though." Nick asked assertively, never faltering from his progress towards the house.

"Of course, I'll assist you in relocating her inside." Eve's response was subdued but determined, moving to Katherine's left side to support her more firmly around her core – thankfully avoiding her arm.

Everything started to blur at that point; Katherine thought she heard someone ask if Nick would keep them informed as to her condition but she couldn't be sure. She knew her eyes were open but they weren't really registering anything, it was like a hazy fog clouding her mind – it would probably feel like a dream once she became more coherent.

The next thing she truly registered was the feeling of being laid down across something soft – a sofa? It seemed the most likely option, given the layout of the Clarke's house.

The pain – her entire body - was starting to numb. She knew it wasn't fading, it was just exhausting her. Temporarily frying out the sensation in her nerves.

Katherine allowed her eyes to close again, the numbness clouding her senses in a brief respite from the constant ache. She only just managed to pay attention Nick and Eve's assessment of her condition.

"Eve, can you scan her?" Nick's voice was quiet, disembodied in her addled brain, but strong – _dependable_.

"It's already done. It appears that the energy output of the nanobots in her system is fluctuating, concentrated on the areas most effected by her injuries from the explosion - where the energy use is highest. I believe they'll stabilise, but it will take time. I don't see anything we can do but wait it out." Waiting was never Katherine's strong suit, but she really wasn't in a position to do anything but. She was barely managing to stay conscious at this point.

"Nothing?" Nick sounded like he was at a total loss; he always did struggle to accept when there was something he couldn't solve. They were similar in that respect.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Nick. She will be fine soon, but it's likely that she will sleep as her body tries to cope with the energy imbalance. I recommend a period of rest and observation to ensure there are no complications as the stabilisation occurs."

It was like being back in hospital again, listening to everyone talk about her as if she wasn't there - rarely being able to voice her own opinion. Only able to 'rest' as the pain fought to consume her. Katherine hadn't enjoyed it then, she definitely wasn't enjoying it now.

"Thanks, Eve. Why don't you go back out? Let everyone know she'll be okay. I'll stay with her."

 _Although, there was one positive constant to the situation it seemed._

"Alright, but if you need me let me know." Katherine assumed Nick nodded as there was an extended moment of silence, followed by the sound of footsteps signalling Eve's departure.

She felt more than heard Nick moving closer, kneeling in front of where she laid. It was only once Nick made a sound of dismay – covering her with the blanket from the back of the sofa – that Katherine realised she was shaking. It was more from the shock of the sudden change in her nanobots than it was the cold, but regardless she was thankful for Nick's attentiveness.

"You still with me, Katherine?" Nick's careful tone spurred her to open her eyes a little, a small smile forming when she caught sight of how worried he looked.

"Not dead yet." Katherine assured sarcastically, his little chuckle at her evidently intact personality showing his relief that it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"I need you to take your jacket off, we should check if the burns have progressed further up your arm. If they have, it's best to dress them as soon as possible." Nick was apologetic about it, but it didn't make the idea of having to manoeuvre her clothing any less daunting.

Her groan of displeasure made that perfectly clear.

"I'll go and get you some water." Nick knew her well enough that she'd want some privacy, to preserve some modicum of her dignity as she would inevitably struggle to get out of her jacket.

"Thank you." It was for more than just the water, they both knew it.

The moment Nick exited the room, Katherine slowly began to sit up. She used her right arm to pull herself up with the back of the sofa, keeping her left side as stationary as possible. With some slight rejigging of her position she managed to prop herself against the arm of the sofa, unzipping her jacket with relative ease – what came next was the tricky part.

Katherine was infinitely glad that she'd decided to wear a short-sleeved shirt, because getting her jacket off quite honestly felt like hell itself. The best (least painful) way Katherine could think of to divest herself of her outerwear was to remove the right side first, pulling with the hand on the same side from the shoulder and shucking the sleeve down as gently as possible. That seemed to work quite well – within seconds she was leaning forward to release the back from where it was trapped against the sofa.

Clenching her teeth, Katherine straightened her left arm - as much as she could without crying out in pain - and began to pull, the jacket slowly but surely making its way down the over-sensitive skin. The material felt like sandpaper, pulling and tearing against what she was sure must be newly-formed burns.

Katherine couldn't help the small whimper of pain that escaped as the fabric scraped over the last section of skin not covered by her bandage, the relief forming soon after. She relaxed back against the sofa arm, the jacket finally clattering to the floor.

Nick must have been surreptitiously watching her from the kitchen, because he returned almost immediately after she'd settled - passing her a large mug of water at which she generously sipped. After downing half she passed it back to him, a small smile also passed in thanks – it seemed she'd been thanking people a lot that night.

As soon as the mug rested carefully on the table, Nick went straight back to the problem at hand. In order to get a better picture, he started by unravelling the bandaging that already covered the burns up to her elbow. Katherine hadn't dared to look at her arm in fear of what she'd find, but his sudden intent focus on the offending appendage forced her to face up to it.

She slowly turned her head.

 _Oh._

Well, it could have been worse she supposed.

At least it could, right up until her head began to swim at the sudden swell of pain that arose from finally seeing the damage.

All Katherine could do was lay her head back and breathe deeply, her right hand coming up to cover her eyes in a futile attempt to block out the pain.

"How bad is it?" She managed to voice, surprisingly steadily.

"It looks worse than it is. From what I can tell it's mostly superficial for now, it just covers a larger area."

 _'Larger area'._

That was an understatement.

The entirety of her arm was covered in raw, pink, puckered skin – right up to the shoulder!

"I'll get the medical supplies, we'll have that salved and covered in no time." All Katherine could manage was a mumbled noise in acknowledgement, her fingers pressing harder into her closed eyes as she fought with the pain and the sudden realisation of how quickly she was deteriorating.

Eventually, she couldn't tell if the sting deep in her sockets was from the pressure of her fingertips or the tears she was trying so hard to hold back.

Katherine Calvin – Queen of coping with everything life had thrown at her – was most definitely not coping.

The sound of Nick returning with the medical supplies had Katherine's hand falling haphazardly back to her lap, she was trying so much to act like her normal self but everything was just-

 _It was just too much._

She couldn't hold herself together anymore.

Silently, Nick knelt next to her once again – this time methodically laying out various bandages, creams and antiseptics. He continued the process almost single-mindedly, making sure he had everything he needed.

Katherine just watched him hollowly, until the silence felt like a pressure on her body – squeezing the words out of her.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this for, Nick."

She'd never seen his head turn around as quickly as it did then.

Nick looked at a loss as for what to say, the unusual sight of Katherine so open – vulnerable – shocking him into silence. She easily recognised the poorly concealed sympathy in his eyes, but instead of making her angry - as it usually did – all she wanted was for him to say something that made her feel better.

 _He always knew what to say._

Nick's expression became resolute, his entire body turning towards her. Gently but firmly he reached out to clasp Katherine's good hand in his own, grounding the weightless void that had settled within her more firmly to reality – finally a sensation other than the pain, anchoring her to consciousness.

Through Katherine's watery vision and trembling breath, Nick's eyes on her never faltered.

"I know you, Katherine – you'll keep going for as long as it takes. You've been going on like this for so long already, but you aren't alone anymore. You have me and – believe it or not – you have everyone out there too."

Nick paused pointedly at the sound of questioning tones contrasting with subdued laughter, emanating through the back door. They were worried about her, but they carried on as close to normal as possible – it was what she would do in all honestly.

"We're close, Katherine - so close to finding out how to fix this. I know how difficult it is for you to accept help, but I promise you we'll sort this out. _Together_. It isn't going to be easy – we both know setbacks like this are inevitable – but you will get through this, just like you always do."

The strangest thing was, Katherine actually _believed_ him.

She felt the depth of his words sink in, alleviating some of the crushing self-doubt from her chest. She felt the release of tension echoed on her face, every muscle relaxing into an unfamiliar expression of awe at the compassion of the man in front of her.

Nick however, just continued as if nothing had changed.

"Now though we're going to cover these burns, you're going to rest and then all of us will ring in the new year."

And just like that, Nick's hand left hers and he was back selecting which antiseptic to start with.

Carefully unwrapping an antiseptic wipe, Nick met her gaze again – a smile playing at the edges of his mouth – but still he said nothing about his impromptu pep talk that left Katherine reeling from its blunt honesty.

"This is probably going to sting quite a bit." She'd deny it later, but the sudden change in tone – undoubtedly intended to take her mind off everything, in which it succeeded – made her snort unexpectedly with laughter.

Nick chose that as the moment to place the wipe against her sensitive skin, the shock of it making her hiss out a breath between her clenched teeth.

He tried to be as careful as possible with it, whilst maintaining a certain speed to get it over and done with. He was very organised about it too - wiping her arm with the antiseptic, using liquid on the more severe areas, salving the entire thing before finally coming to the bandaging. All in all it must have only taken about five minutes with minimal pain but maximum effectiveness.

By the end of it Katherine felt completely exhausted like Eve has said she would, the pain still a constant dull ache that only served to drain her more. She could feel her eyes starting to droop as Nick put the finishing touches to securing the full-arm bandage, despite her best efforts to stay awake as long as possible.

"Alright, I think we're all done here. Not bad, if I do say myself." Nick gloated good-naturedly, as if he were still attempting to cajole her into her usual personality. She was glad of the effort, but all she could manage in return was a half-hearted exhalation for a laugh – her head involuntarily falling to rest on the pillow against the arm of the sofa.

"I'll let you get some sleep." Nick conceded fondly, his hand comfortingly rubbing her unburnt arm so that she'd know he was there if she needed him. Somehow, she felt physically warmer – softer around the edges – at the gesture.

"Okay." Katherine managed to whisper as she felt unconsciousness seeping in further, her eyes closing as she felt Nick pulling the blanket further up to encompass her more completely.

She quickly fell asleep to the sound of soft footsteps and the light buzz of conversation permeating the room.

* * *

The first thing Katherine noticed as she groggily awoke was the distinct lack of pain, or at least nothing beyond the usual sting that she'd become accustomed to lately. The second thing was the clarity with which she could process the world again, everything slotting back into its proper place. The third was the hand gently shaking her awake and the hushed voice calling her name.

"Mmm… How long was I asleep?" Her voice sounded scratchy, unused with sleep, but even she could notice the relaxed flow of her words compared to the terseness they held before resting.

"About four hours, I thought it best to at least let you get through one REM cycle. It's half past eleven." The relief in Nick's voice belied the professionality of his words, evidently glad to see her awake and apparently feeling better.

When Katherine eventually managed to prize open her eyes she was greeted by the sight of Nick once again kneeling down in front of her, with Eve standing a little further behind.

"How am I doing?" Yes, she was definitely feeling better. Straight down to business.

"The nanobots have stabilised fairly well for now, but I would suggest further testing be done at Calimov at your earliest convenience. The reformed burns are currently superficial, but I cannot be sure how long you have until it progresses. For now though, you are perfectly well." Eve answered comprehensively, her expression neutral until she ended on a positive note – allowing herself a look of happy reassurance with the relatively good news.

"Thank you, Eve." Sincerity tinged each word, despite the slight wincing Katherine couldn't prevent as she slowly began to sit up.

"I'll inform everyone that you're awake." Eve eagerly stated, returning to the garden - leaving Katherine and Nick alone once again.

"How do you feel?" Now that she could fully comprehend everything around her again, Katherine found herself feeling slightly strange about how attentive Nick was being to her health.

"Honestly? A bit ridiculous for sleeping on your sofa the entire evening, but other than that I feel fine." It was mostly true, 'fine' was pretty much a world away from the raging maelstrom going on inside her though – but she felt a hell of a lot better than she had earlier.

Katherine told herself it was just easier to condense it into 'I'm fine', but part of her knew that she was uncomfortable with how open she'd already been – she didn't think she'd been as open before in her life as she was that night. Too open, in her opinion – but Katherine was determined not to backtrack as she usually did.

She could back off, but that didn't mean she had to shut down completely. A happy medium.

"Think you're up for going back outside?" Nick stood, respecting the distance he could she was attempting to put between them but offering a figurative outreaching hand if she wanted to take it.

"Definitely, there's no use laying around here all night." Pulling the blanket back, Katherine swung her legs out to rest firmly on the floor – the heels of her shoes sinking snugly into the carpet. Carefully she tested the strength of her arm, putting wait onto it where she sat. When everything seemed fine, she made to stand properly.

Nick's hand was instantly centimetres away from her.

"I'm perfectly capable of standing on my own, thank you very much." Katherine scorned mildly, standing abruptly to make her point clearer.

She was so glad that actually worked out and she didn't just collapse back down from the head rush.

"Sorry." Nick apologised light-heartedly, bringing his hands up in mock surrender. He seemed to remember something, before quickly reaching behind him to the section of the sofa perpendicular to how she'd been laying. When he turned back, Katherine's jacket was laid across his hand – neatly folded even as he offered it back to her.

"You'll probably want to put this back on, it's a lot colder out now." She took it gratefully, pulling it on a lot easier than it had been to take it off. After zipping it up and quickly fussing with her hair – making sure it wasn't too messy after her sleep – Katherine felt ready to celebrate the new year with the rest of the rag-tag bunch she was somehow a part of.

Nick took the hint and led the way back outside, for probably the latest in several trips throughout the night. Katherine felt slightly guilty for taking him away from his family for what must have been a substantial portion of the night, but she was aware that she couldn't control when her nanobots played up so pushed it down – in favour of enjoying what remained of her night.

The gust of bitterly cold wind that hit Katherine as she stepped through the back door felt wonderful; she breathed in deeply – stopping to savour it for a few moments – as the fresh air drove out the stuffiness that had persisted in her chest.

She finally felt properly awake – _properly alive_ – again.

Katherine's sudden pause, however, had Nick almost bumping into her – having to steady himself by gripping her shoulders. They had a slight laugh about it – neither taking it seriously – before continuing.

Nick kept a hand on her right shoulder the entire way, almost protectively from where he walked on her left.

The moment she stepped into general view a chorus of 'Ayyy' resounded throughout the open space, with a few claps here and there. Evidently, everyone had started drinking at some point in the evening – slightly lowering their inhibitions.

Come to think of it, Katherine could really do with a drink herself.

It had been a _long_ night.

Praise Maddy Watson and her need to take care of everyone, because just as she thought that a glass was placed in her hand.

The moment it was in her hand the desire to down the glass of red wine in one was suddenly very strong, but Katherine managed to restrain herself – there were children present after all and she wasn't completely socially inept, she was aware that wouldn't go down quite so well as the wine itself would.

"How are you feeling, love? You had us all worried there." Nick's hand surreptitiously removed itself from its perch on her shoulder, giving Katherine some distance to focus on her conversation.

"I'm much better now, thank you. I didn't intend to worry you like that, it must have been quite strange seeing that happen." She wasn't sure how much Maddy knew after the revelation that Eve and KT were robots, but it was all so new to her that Katherine thought it best to err on the side of caution in how much she revealed.

"With everything that's happened around here? I don't think any of us find much strange anymore." Rebecca commented brightly, coming up from behind Maddy to rest her arm on her shoulders comfortably – it seemed they'd gotten quite close in the short time they'd known each other, as if they'd been friends for years rather than months.

"I couldn't agree more! But hey, I thought this supposed to be a party? We'll have no more talk of this tonight, instead I think it's time we show Katherine how to let her hair down and have a good time." She was more than ready to put the previous events of the night behind her, welcoming whatever distraction she could take.

"Oh, Katherine definitely knows how to have a good time - you didn't see her at university." The exaggerated tone of Nick's voice travelled from where he'd been eavesdropping behind her, undoubtedly tempting intrigue.

"You mean to say Katherine Calvin – _the_ Katherine Calvin – hasn't always been all work and no play?" Rebecca teased, her piqued interest making it clear she wanted details.

"Ahh, the stories I could tell you about university." Nick's pointedly mischievous look towards her – visible from where he now stood beside her - made Katherine certain he was preparing to divulge an embarrassing tale, one which she'd never live down.

"Don't you dare." Katherine threatened semi-seriously, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"Oh come on Katherine, just one?" Maddy pleaded, stifling a laugh.

"Yeah, we need some proof of your _wild_ past." Their insistence was wearing Katherine down, could it really do that much harm?

"…Alright. Just one though!" The cheers that gained worried her greatly.

She was going to regret this wasn't she.

* * *

Fifteen minutes and what ended up being two stories later, Maddy and Rebecca we're in stitches at Nick's anecdotes. Even Katherine had to admit that the retelling of her previous antics was surprisingly funny, she hadn't remembered them quite as well as or as often as Nick evidently had – making it feel as if she was remembering it for the first time all over again.

It was a _really_ good feeling.

It had been a long time since she'd looked back on her university days fondly, it made her realise just how much she'd changed over the years – Katherine could barely recognise herself as that studious yet tempestuous twenty-year-old now.

"Dad! Five minutes to midnight!" Will called across the garden suddenly, snapping everyone into action. People began taking their places in preparation for the fireworks, a buzz of excitement radiating around.

Whereas most stood back at a safe distance away from the danger, Nick walked towards it in order to do the final checks – Katherine doing the same as an extra pair of trained eyes.

That turned out to be a good idea.

After a few checks, Nick appeared to be happy with what he found. Katherine however, moved instantly to correct an issue she'd spotted with the trajectory – it wasn't obvious, or particularly dangerous, but it was better to be safe than end up with a wayward firework.

A few seconds later and Katherine stepped back to where Nick was looking on in surprise, clearly wondering how he hadn't seen the problem.

"Easy to miss." Katherine stated with a smirk, her usual sarcasm tinging her words playfully. Turning around, she patted him twice on the arm lightly as she walked to rest of the group - in mock reassurance of his skill. She knew he wouldn't take it seriously, allowing her to have some fun with it – and him.

When everyone had taken their places near the house – far from the fireworks at the bottom of the garden – a few minutes elapsed in jovial conversation amongst the ensemble, all waiting for the real countdown to begin.

Nick had graciously offered Viv the opportunity to set off the fireworks, given the latter's unsuccessful efforts in setting them up in the first place. Viv was currently towards the right end of the group, holding the detonation device steadfastly away from the curious hands of his oldest son - somehow managing to do it calmly whilst maintaining an intimate conversation with his wife.

Will – who was keeping a watchful eye on the exact time, even down to the second – alerted them all giddily as soon as it hit 11:59pm. He started counting down with twenty seconds to go, making sure he had the rhythm right before putting his phone away and counting down off by heart at ten seconds – the point at which everyone joined in the loud countdown to the new year.

"Ten!"

Looking down the line, Katherine watched contentedly as Will took Eve's hand in his left followed by Lily's in his right – Eve doing the same with KT who stood between herself and Nick. Further down Abe shared a look of excitement with his sister, as Rebecca and Maddy covertly shot one another an amused look at Viv's childlike excitement for setting off the fireworks. It all felt so very domestic.

"Nine!"

And then there was Nick…

"Eight!"

Nick, who turned to meet her eyes with that sweet smile and a barely concealed anticipation in his eyes, both of which only grew when he saw it reflected back in Katherine's own expression.

"Seven!"

Then just as quickly he looked away again, his awkwardness and shyness preventing him from holding eye contact with her for too long.

"Six!"

It was like the Mistletoe incident from last Christmas all over again…

"Five!"

She'd really wanted to kiss him then too.

"Four!"

And that was just it, wasn't it.

"Three!"

After everything, Nick could somehow still look at her with such wonder and happiness in the most perfect of moments – overriding the disgust and anger that he'd also aimed at her in many a moment of their tumultuous relationship.

"Two!"

God, it _really_ made her want to kiss him.

"One!"

Katherine stepped closer to him, bringing her hand up to Nick's shoulder to capture his attention. The moment he turned – smile wide on his face – a surge of courage washed through her.

 _Oh, to hell with it._

"Happy New Year!"

Katherine leaned forward – her hand moving to his cheek as she tiptoed to meet him with more certainty – and did exactly as she wanted.

She kissed him.

Perhaps the first thing she noticed was how cliché it all seemed, with literal fireworks going off in the background. An instant later though, she realised she honestly didn't care a single bit.

It felt as if everything Katherine had been worried about faded into the background for a few precious moments, her soul focus on Nick and the utter relief at finally being able to do this – that Nick was actually _reciprocating_ , as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Katherine never thought she'd get this chance, they'd been dancing around it for years after all and nothing had ever come of it – even before they'd met Rebecca. Yet there was something that felt so unequivocally _right_ about it happening now.

Everything just seemed to have fit itself into place now.

The kiss lasted only a short time – no more than five seconds – but the moment they pulled away everything had quickly moved around them. The fireworks continued bursting at breakneck speed in brilliantly coloured light and loud cracks, whilst the rest of the group had converged together to celebrate amongst each other – gestures of affection flowing freely between them all.

All Nick could do, however, was stare at Katherine in a mixture of surprise, curiosity and (dare she say it?) happiness.

"You, uh. We just. Um. I-" Nick spluttered, she really had caught him off guard it appeared.

"Shut up and watch the fireworks, Nick." Katherine intervened, turning to watch the display with a shy yet smug smile. She was used to making people speechless, but this was by far the best experience of it.

"Right. Yes. Fireworks." He followed her lead mechanically, doing as she said and focusing his unerring, unblinking gawk on the bursts of light.

After a few seconds, Katherine decided to somewhat put him out of his misery - attempting to break his confusion at the situation. Slowly, she moved her hand to gently grasp his, knowing that it had the desired effect when she felt him relax - a soft smile replaced the blankness of confusion, as she witnessed from the corner of her eye.

"Happy New Year, Nick."

His grip on her hand tightened significantly, reasserting their hold.

"Happy New Year, Katherine."

* * *

An hour later and everyone was winding down for the night, quiet conversations continuing into the early hours. Nick was stood with Will, both watching on from afar (under the pretence of refilling glasses) as the rest of the group played some sort of card game – sat in a circle in the centre of the garden.

"How do you think the night's gone, how you hoped?" Nick enquired, knowing how important the night had been to his son.

"It's been perfect, exactly how I wanted it – everyone together, getting along and having fun. Something we can all remember happily, no matter how long it is until Eve visits again." Will recounted contentedly, although Nick could tell he was upset at the prospect of Eve leaving again. It was always hardest on Will, when it inevitably happened. Every time.

"What's been the best part?" Nick questioned, trying to brighten up Will's mood again – it wasn't healthy to dwell on the bad, better to focus on the good memories he could hold on to through the bad.

"Definitely midnight. It was unreal, all the fireworks going off – not just ours, but across the whole area too – and…" He hesitated slightly, a blush forming on his cheeks along with a fond smile before he continued.

"I kissed Eve and Lily both on the cheek. I just thought it would be the perfect start to the year, letting my two best friends know how much I love them – no matter where we end up, I wanted us all to have that moment as something happy to remember, that links the three of us."

Nick had to agree with his choice of moment, for reasons not entirely dissimilar.

Something must have happened during the group's game then, because a chorus of subdued laughter filled the quiet air – Nick's focus was suddenly only on Katherine though. Will must have noticed it too.

"I've never seen Katherine so happy, not genuinely at least. It's strange, but good." Will commented, trying to appear blasé about the whole thing but the hint of an agenda was evident in his undertone.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her like this in a long time. I didn't realise how much I'd missed it." Nick reminisced, his expression airily watching over the scene in front of them.

Absent-mindedly he took a sip from his drink, the awareness of his surroundings slightly blurred at the edges of his tunnel vision. Nick barely registered his son lift his glass to his own lips, barely covering up a mischievous smile.

"I can see why you fancy her now."

The subsequent spray of liquid and slight choking sounds from Nick quickly drew the attention of the group, all of whom managed to miss the look of fake innocence emanating from Will.

 _Well. 2017 was certainly going to be an interesting year_ , Nick thought to himself – brushing down the wetness on his jumper whilst everyone unmaliciously laughed at his misfortune, catching the gaze of a _certain someone_ who looked at him with nothing but affectionate exasperation.

 _Very interesting indeed…_

* * *

 _I tried to make this as in-character for everyone as possible whilst also giving Katherine some actual friends, I'm determined to create the Give Katherine Calvin Some Female Friends and Great Character Development 2k17 movement - I encourage you all to join ;)_

 _That finale gave me many emotions, most of which pertain to how they've now set up the potential easy progression to making Nick/Katherine actually canon in the prospective series 4 (I really need confirmation for that ASAP). Feel free to come and scream with me about that (Or anything Eve related) in my inbox, it honestly makes my day to receive messages from any of you guys._

 _I hope you enjoyed, feel free to favourite and review!_


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